In Afghanistan, a hard holiday for troops

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2012/12/gn-hard-holiday-troops122212/ In Afghanistan, a hard holiday for troops By Carmen Gentile - Special to USA TODAY Posted : Saturday Dec 22, 2012 9:36:38 EST FORWARD OPERATING BASE ARIAN, Ghazni Province, Afghanistan — First Sgt. Alan Robison is missing Christmas with his wife and children for the fourth time due to deployments. "I'm really big on Christmas so when I'm home my family really goes all out with the tree and lights on the house," he says. "When I'm not there they don't do as much decorating." He and his men manage to muster some holiday cheer despite the distance from home. In between patrols in this hotbed of Taliban activity he and his fellow troops decorated a tree. This year is the 12th holiday season that U.S. servicemembers are in Afghanistan, and it is the time of year that troops can miss their families the most. But...